Last week, Mattel announced that Barbie is getting a makeover. Over 30 new Barbie dolls are now available for purchase through Mattel’s website, in three new body types: petite, tall and curvy. The new Barbie dolls will also come in 7 skin tones, 22 eye colors and 24 hairstyles.
The original Barbie debuted in 1959. The 1959 Barbie was blond, blue-eyed and super thin. In this increasingly image-conscious world, the original Barbie sent the wrong message to our daughters about what they should look like. The original Barbie set a standard of beauty that could be potentially damaging to our girl’s self-esteem and self-love. It is so important for girls to know that beauty comes in many shapes, sizes and skin tones. It’s important for girls to have dolls that look like themselves.
Half of America is non-white, so it made great business sense for Mattel to make dolls that were more reflective of today’s society. Today’s mothers are looking for dolls that their daughters can relate to. Congrats to Mattel for moving with the times.